Earlier today, I went on a hike with with three friends that took us from Wong Nai Chung up to Violet Hill's two highest peaks, then down to Tsin Shui Wan Au to connect with the portion of the Tsz Lo Lan Shan Path that led around the Twins down towards Stanley.

While
hiking along Violet Hill, I mentioned to one of my friends that this
particularly excursion had been rather thin on the ground in terms of
critter spottings. Little did we know then the veritable critter
spotting explosion we'd experience in the latter section of the hike,
pretty much once we passed Tsin Shui Wan Au!

On most other days, spotting a green snake -- regardless of whether it was a Greater Green Snake (as I'm inclined to think based on descriptions of its behavior), considerably more venomous Bamboo Snake
(based on how it looked to me) or something else altogether -- would
normally constitute the high point of the critter spotting portion of
the hike for me.

But
whereas we saw one live snake on our hike this afternoon (along with a
partially decaying dead one that was giving off a distinctly strong
smell), we must have seen as many as 50 spiders -- the vast majority of
them Golden Orb Weavers -- over the course of less than two hours! And
adding to the experience was many of them having built their webs so
close to the path that the tallest among us (who's around 6 feet 4
inches tall) had to hunch to avoid a number of them while another of our
number ended up accidentally getting a large section of spiderweb stuck
on her backpack courtesy of having veered a little too close to the
path's edge at one point!

In
addition, it was interesting to notice that a surprisingly high number
of the spiders had caught themselves something to eat in their
admittedly often pretty large webs. On a Lantau Island hike a few years
back, I had seen a Golden Orb Weaver with the remnants of a butterfly in its web.
Today, I saw Golden Orb Weavers which had caught bees, dragonflies --
and most shockingly of all -- another Golden Orb Weaver in their webs
and definitely looked like they were preparing these other creatures to
be eaten!

But
I have to admit that I'll never quite look at them in the same light
again after seeing today that they're capable of cannibalism! Indeed, I
might go so far as to say that I found the sight of the Golden Orb
Weaver with another -- and definitely dead -- Golden Orb Weaver in its
web to be creepier than that of the green snake spotted today; though
it's true enough that if that snake hadn't decided to stay on the far
side of the catchwater from us, that might have been an entirely
different matter! ;b

These photos are worthy of inclusion in your archive of insects and reptiles of Hong Kong. The green snake looks less frightening than the spiders. And yes, for true HK film fans, the snake might summon images of Hark's The Green Snake.

Two films I saw this week...Ronny Yu's Saving General Yang. If the screenwriter and director had given more background to the characters, the movie would have had a greater emotional impact. Still, the battles were well staged and it was worth seeing...I would like to recommend Locke (England, 2014), a film that has only one character, who drives at night to London, spending the entire time talking on the phone. And the film manages to tell a good story. If this makes it to HK, worth seeing.

Recently, a Japanese friend told me that in his culture, spotting a snake is considered good luck. I have to admit that I don't tend to think I'm blessed when I catch sight of a snake -- but it's also true enough that I often get a thrill out of spotting a snake while out on a hike, once I stop getting scared out of my wits by them, that is!

Re Ronny Yu's "Saving General Yang": I think the thing with that film is that there's an assumption that the vast majority of the people who'll see it already are very familiar with the story of that particular Yang family. And for my part, I was quite impressed by the movie -- and it did help to have viewed the film with a thoroughly receptive audience.

Re "Locke": Thanks for the recommendation. It'll be interesting to see if it makes it out to Hong Kong...

A further comment about Saving General Yang. I watched it a second time, and as often happens with me, I liked it better. I then watched my copies of Eight Diagram Pole Fighter and 14 Amazons. I guess Hong Kong film fans should be thankful for something like General Yang which does recall the heroic themes of past films, especially Shaw Brothers films.

About Me

Hong Kong film fan (and general Asian cinema buff). Culture vulture. Participant-observer. Independent travel and hiking enthusiast. Foodie and beer geek. Reader by inclination, writer and editor by trade. Rolling stone (Penang-born but currently living and working in Hong Kong). A Gooner since 1978.